Strategies for Community Organizers and Activists

Lake County Illinois is considering a good strategy to help them move forward with wind power projects. The idea may help other areas that want to embrace wind projects but have been struggling with wind energy regulations. (more…)

By Timlynn BabitskyOnce again the battle lines are drawn. “Sure I support wind power but don’t put those turbines in my back yard.” At issue again is how close is close; how loud is turbine noise; and does history trump the future. The problem is, commercial wind power in this state could hang on the siting commission’s decision. (more…)

By Timlynn Babitsky
The first Vertical Axis Wind Turbine has gone live at the home of Tim Williams in San Diego County! This 3.4 kW Falcon turbine from WePOWER promises to be virtually free from vibration, noise, and maintenance. And, it’s safe for birds. (more…)

by Timlynn BabitskyThe Age of Stupid is a 90-minute film about climate change set in 2055. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world 45 years from now. He looks back at video footage from 2007 and asks: Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?(more…)

By Timlynn Babitsky
We hear a great deal about wind farm development and even more about off-shore wind projects, but what’s being done on the urban wind scene? Are there wind projects afoot that will change the urban landscape?

Back in the 1970s a small Jacobs windcharger was installed on a tenement roof in Bronx, New York. The Bronx project succeeded. It proved that rooftop generated electricity could be fed back into a utility’s network without destroying the network, the building, or the city. And then the project was dismantled. What is the status of urban wind development today? (more…)

By Timlynn Babitsky
With wind energy now such a broad topic of conversation, a number of places are looking to claim “best wind” bragging rights. Take Chicago for example. Widely known as The Windy City, locals there shiver, shake and proudly state how nearly continuously the wind off Lake Michigan blows briskly up and down their streets. As we take a deeper look at the state of urban wind energy today, is Chicago the best site for urban wind power development? (more…)

By Timlynn BabitskyDo wind power farms, or even single wind energy turbines negatively impact the property values nearby? This controversial issue has people passionately lined up on both sides armed with anecdotal data and serious research results. The most often cited paper comes from a US study in 2003; it claims no negative impact. A second surely to be well cited study conducted in the UK in 2007 shows that property values near wind farms appeared to be negatively impacted. Wind project resistors will no doubt point to the UK study. Which is correct?(more…)

by Timlynn Babitsky
Suspicious shenanigans by wind developers in upstate New York have prompted the State’s Attorney General to develop a code of conduct for wind energy companies doing business in The Empire State. There is no question that wind power in New York State has the potential to make positive changes for many who live there, but the ends should never justify the means. And, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, absolutely agrees. (more…)

By Timlynn Babitsky
The claim by wind power resistors that “infrasound” is a health problem for people living anywhere near modern wind turbines is not supported by facts. There is general agreement among acousticians that infrasound from wind turbines is not a problem. There is a turbine noise issue to which we do need to pay attention, but inaudible noise making your body parts vibrate is just not it. (more…)